Here came another abolition of my family privacy. Solitude had been interjected once again. The world and its people, who lacked the complete understanding of love, had come to disturb my only sense of peace.

Family privacy—that is all I ever asked for. That is all I ever wanted… but the individuals who had obstructed us could not seem to fathom the meaning of such regard. The work that we did for them just wasn’t enough. Instead, they insisted upon taking us down for punishment—over a tiny mistake concerning material possessions.

My feelings of such absurdity were already dismal at best, but my mood worsened once I saw the face of one of my most disliked individuals: Captain Magma. He was a pitiless person with an unstable temper and hate for anything that did not concern his needs. He was a self-reserved man with all the power in the world, including his supernatural flame abilities, but carried no sense of love or attachment towards anything with a soul.

The guards who brought us here pressed our hides into the chairs, giving us brief premonition of the trouble Isaac and I were about to find ourselves in.

Brief silence carried through, granting us each a moment to anticipate each other’s first words or actions. Everyone present in the room knew why we were here, but Isaac and I didn’t care. We weren’t afraid of this man.

“Yes,” I said. “We’re here because we haven’t yet given you the full amount of your share.”

“That’s right.” His answer was calm, pausing briefly before continuing. “So, are you boys going to tell me why you haven’t delivered your full share?”

Isaac and I remained idle. Once we realized neither of us had yet said anything, we turned eyes on each other, hoping the other would care to give tedious explanation. I nodded once Isaac offered to volunteer, turning my attention away from this meaningless meeting.

“Well, it’s no different than what we told your guys,” he said. We used the remaining fifty dollars to get us some food. We hadn’t eaten in days.”

“Okay… now can you tell me whoexactly gave you permission to do this?!”

“We lend you five grand a week!” I said. “We figured after all the money we’ve been bringing into the business, we deserved something beyond ‘an internship’, and so we kept fifty dollars to feed ourselves!”

“But that was my money you spent!”His voice rose suddenly, breaking the table in front of us with his flame-fists.

With rage provoked at its peak, he glared at Isaac and me with a level of hostility that nearly begged for a challenge. I was infuriated with his lack of discipline at allowing himself to get so worked up over matters so insignificant. Normally I was a patient man, who’s proud of his ability to suppress inner madness, but my eyes were quickly betraying me of that bragging right.

“It was just--fifty dollars,” I emphasized as calmly as possible, suppressing my anger that was urging my body to shake. “Would you have your men starve?!”

“I would have them starve over stealing from me, you worthless trash!”

A second before I was prepared to react, Isaac jumped from his seat, tightening his fists. I swore to god if it wasn’t for Isaac, I would have decked this man straight in the face, permanently eradicating my opportunity of ever getting even.

Magma turned to face him, surprised by his bold action.

“Oh I’m sorry,” he said, walking over to Isaac and scrutinizing his intent. “Were you going to do something?”

Before anyone had time to anticipate his next move, Magma bashed Isaac right to the ground.

Bam!

The only family I had ever known was hammered to the floor right before my eyes. I desperately wanted to retaliate, but I knew I had to keep it together.

Soon, Jamie… very soon…

“Well then go ahead!”shouted Magma into Isaac’s face at the top of his lungs. “Do something, boy! I dare you! Come on!”

One hit was already difficult enough to witness, but once he pounced onto my brother’s face again… I lost it.

As the veins on my forehead thundered, I grasped a metal pipe nearby and slammed it on Magma’s skull as hard as I could.

Slam!

The hit was critical, but the iron body of magma reflected the damage onto the pipe instead, exploiting nothing but the increase of his indignation.

“Boy, you just sentenced you and your friend to death!”he proclaimed as he charged after me.

“Come and get it then!” said Isaac as he used my pipe to thrash Magma’s knees from behind.

We knew Isaac hit him good once he screamed out in anguish. “Alright, that’s it!” he said. I’m going to turn this entire room into a furnace!”

“Wait just a second boss-man!” said one of the guards in the room suddenly, knowing he had but a few seconds to speak the words that’d save everyone’s life. “Don’t forget about what the underboss said about keeping these two alive! They’re our best drug dealers!”

Magma froze still after the sudden realization. Having just remembered, he punched a hole in the wall with such force the ceiling cracked. “You just had to remind me of that right now, didn’t you?!” The guard shriveled up into a corner as Magma stormed toward him. “Well somebody today is going to die— and if it can’t be them, then it’ll just have to be you!”

The guard pleaded for his life, but the soulless demon had no way of understanding such fear from others. Within seconds of approach, the man was set ablaze, wailing helplessly as his flesh melted from his bones. Fortunately, it wasn’t long for his misery to be set from him, as everything we once knew about this man darkened to black charcoal.

For the sake of our lives, the remainder of us remained silent as we waited for Magma to catch his breath. None of us dared to make a sound…

Once he finished admiring his barbaric work, he turned to face Isaac and me, staring viciously at us like he was the devil himself.

“I don’t care if it’s one penny! If you two fail to return everysinglecent you owe, you will be sent down to the fury gates of hell, regardless of your worth! Now get out of my sight!”

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